Facade cladding,in particular for a bungalow



D. E. BLOK 3,453,794

FACADE CLADDING, IN PARTICULAR FOR A BUNGALOW July 8, 1969 Filed Nov. 9, 1964 FIIG.1

INVENTOR Dirk Ever Ble k Jidu/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 300,995 Int. Cl. E04c 1/54; E06!) 3/54; F04]: 5/52 US. Cl. 52-466 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A facade cladding including a plurality of panels each spaced between a pair of mushroom-shaped supports, with a clamping strip hooked over the support to clamp the corresponding ends of the panels to the support.

This invention relates to a facade cladding, in particular for bungalows, in which panels or lamellae provided with bent or flanged longitudinal rims are held by supports and aims at providing a cladding of this kind which may be rapidly and easily mounted on a facade and nevertheless is firmly secured to this facade.

This is accomplished with the facade according to the invention in that the bent longitudinal rims opposite each other of each two adjacent panels or lamellae are in engagement with the bent longitudinal rims of a clamping strip, said clamping strip covering the supports and the bent longitudinal rims of the panels or lamellae. In consequence of the fact that the bent longitudinal rims of the clamping strips engage with the bent longitudinal rims of the panels or lamellae, an articulated connection is formed between the clamping strips and the panels or lamellae. When mounting the facade cladding one longitudinal rim of a clamping strip is hooked into one of the longitudinal rims of a panel or lamella, said clamping strip being in an oblique position. Thereupon a longitudinal rim of the adjacent panel or adjacent lamella is hooked around the other bent longitudinal rim of the clamping strip after which the clamping strip is pressed over the support or a plurality of supports located in a row, the first-mentioned longitudinal rims forming an articulated connection about which the clamping strip swings when being pressed on the support. After the clamping strip has been put in place the other longitudinal rim of the adjacent lamella is pressed behind the head of the following support or the following row of supports, whereupon again a clamping strip with a next panel or lamella is mounted.

It is preferred that the longitudinal rims of the clamping strips have been bent over a larger angle than the longitudinal rims of the panels or lamellae. Thus a satisfactory articulated connection is formed which considerably facilitates the mounting of the facade cladding.

In a preferred embodiment of the cladding the radius of curvature of the bent longitudinal rims of the panels or lamellae is larger than the radius of curvature of the bent longitudinal rims of the clamping strips. This results in a linear contact between the bent longitudinal rims of the panels or lamellae and the bent longitudinal rims of the clamping strips thus preventing the capillary action which occurs in the case of a surface contact.

In cross-section the supports may present the shape of a mushroom arranged on a supporting strip or supporting plate, the dimensions of the supports being such that each bent longitudinal rim of the panels or lamellae rests on the one hand on the strip or plate and on the other hand against the underside of the head of a mushroom-shaped support. The supports may be strip-shaped as well as block-shaped. In the latter case a plurality of supports is arranged each time in a row, a clamping means gripping around said row of supports.

In the case of the above-described cladding a satisfactory ventilation is obtained between this cladding and the supports. In order to obtain likewise a satisfactory ventilation between the cladding and the facade, there may be provided supporting strips or some other supporting members between the panels or lamellae and the facade.

In consequence of the fact that the clamping strips are narrow a strop clamping action is obtained. If desired these clamping strips may have a different colour than the panels or lamellae.

The invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing by way of example an embodiment of part of a facade provided with a cladding according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of this facade provided with a cladding.

FIG. 2 shows on an enlarged scale a portion of said cladding.

The drawings show part of a wall 1 provided with a cladding. For this purpose there have been fastened to this wall 1 supports 2 with the interposition of supporting plates or supporting strips 3. In cross-section the supports 2 are mushroom-shaped and may be strip-shaped as well as block-shaped. If they are block-shaped, a plurality of supports is arranged each time in a row. Between each two supports 2 or each two rows of supports 2 a panel or lamella 4 has been provided which comprises bent longitudinal rims 5. The supports 2 and the plates or strips 3 are of such construction and such dimensions as to allow the longitudinal rims 5 to rest on the one hand on the plates or strips and to lie on the other hand against the underside of the hands of the mushroomlike supports 2.

Longitudinal rims 6 and 7 of clamping strips 8 engage with the bent longitudinal rims 5 of the panels or lamellae 4 so that said clamping strips 8 cover the supports 2 and the bent longitudinal rims 5 of the panels or lamellae 4. The clamping strips 8 are preferably manufactured from somewhat resilient material.

The bent longitudinal rims 6 and 7 of the clamping strips 8 have been bent or curled up over a larger angle than the longitudinal rims of the panels or lamellae 4, whereas the radius of curvature of said longitudinal rims 6 and 7 is smaller than the radius of curvature of the bent longitudinal rims 5. Consequently the longitudinal rims 6 and 7 will contact the longitudinal rims 5 onl according to a line so that moisture entering between these longitudinal rims will not or substantially not be entrained by capillary action which certainly would happen if the bent rims would contact each other according to a large surface.

The dimensions of the clamping strips 8 have been chosen so large that these clamping strips enclose the heads of the supports 2 with clearance. In this way a satisfactory ventilation between the supports and the clamping strips is obtained.

The portions of the panels or lamellae 4 situated between the bent rims 5 are located at a small distance from the wall 1 so that also between these panels or lamellae and the wall a satisfactory ventilation occurs. If the panels or lamellae would only be supported With their rims by the plates or strips 3 these panels or lamellae might deflect. In order to prevent this deflection supporting strips 9 or supporting members of other construction may be provided between these panels or lamellae and the wall.

The facade cladding described above is mounted in the following manner.

On the facade the supports 2 with the supporting strips or supporting plates 3 are provided correctly interspaced. Thereupon a panel or lamella 4, for example the rectangularly bent lamella 4, is arranged between the supports 2, the bent edges of this panel or this lamella 4 being firmly clamped between the supporting strips or supporting plates 3 and the head of the mushroom-shaped supports 2.

Subsequently one of the bent rims or the clamping strip 8 is hooked in the oblique position shown in dotted lines into the bent rim 5 of the lamella or panel 4 Whereupon a bent rim 5 of a next lamella 4 is hooked around the other bent rim 7 of the clamping strip. Subsequently the bent rim 7 of said clamping strip 8 with the engaging rim 5 of the lamella 4 is pressed over the support 2 after which the lamella 4 is swung towards the facade and its longitudinal rim 5 is pressed behind the next support 2. Subsequently the next clamping strips and lamellae or panels are mounted in the same manner. In the embodiment shown the last lamella or the last panel 4' has only one bent rim 5. The end 10 of this lamella 4' rests on a strip 11 fastened to the wall 1 and its rim is covered by a strip 12.

It is obvious that the invention is not restricted to the embodiment and application described above by way of example, but that it may be modified in many ways without departing from the scope of the invention. The construction as described for a facade cladding may also be applied for an awning, a canopy or suchlike construction.

I claim:

1. A facade cladding, in particular for a bungalow, comprising a plurality of stationary supports having a substantially mushroom-shaped cross section and having recesses in their opposite sides, a plurality of shape retaining panels each having curved longitudinal rim portions held in the recesses of two adjacent supports and a plurality of substantially U-shaped clamping strips of slightly resilient material and being arranged with their web portions above corresponding supports, the legs of said clamping strips being directed towards the panels, said legs having longitudinal inwardly curved rim portions, each of the rim portions of each strip gripping into one of the curved longitudinal rim portions of two adjacent panels with a convex surface of each strip rim portion seated in and bearing against a concave surface of a respective panel rim portion, the curved longitudinal rim portions of the panels and of the clamping strips being bent over such an angle that said curved longitudinal rim portions of the panels and of the clamping strips may be hingedly hooked together and the heads of the supports being chamfered so that the interengaged longitudinal rim portions of the clamping strips and the panels may be brought into the recesses by snapping the clamping strip with the longitudinal rim portions of the panels onto the supports.

2. The facade cladding according to claim 1, wherein the radii of curvature of the curved longitudinal rim portions of the panels is larger than the radii of curvature of the inwardly curved longitudinal rim portions of the clamping strips and the corresponding rim portions of the panels and of the clamping strips contacting each other along a line.

3. The facade cladding according to claim 1, wherein the edges of the curved longitudinal rim portions of the panels project beyond the edges of the inwardly curved longitudinal rim portions of the clamping strips.

4. The facade cladding according to claim 1, further comprising a supporting strip projecting beyond the base of each of said supports, each of said supports being fixed to a corresponding supporting strip, and each of said panels resting on two adjacent supporting strips.

5. The facade cladding according to claim 1, wherein a venting clearance is defined between the rim portions of the panel and the corresponding walls of said supports.

6. The facade cladding according to claim 1, wherein a venting clearance is defined between said clamping strips and the corresponding heads of said supports.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,228,159 l/1966 Vecchiarelli et al. 52-588 1,144,265 6/1915 Von Uffel 52-466 X 2,192,730 3/1940 Tapman 52-466 2,574,937 11/1951 Sampon 52-466 2,855,871 10/1958 Huntington 52-461 3,228,159 1/1966 Vecchiarelli et al. 52-588 X FOREIGN PATENTS 101,386 10/1925 Austria.

1,257,465 2/1961 France.

r HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

